Go together with others and buy half a beef, or cases of chicken. I still get beef and seafood cheap at times from a vendor that services bars around here. I told the deliver driver long ago if at the end of the day he has stuff he couldnt sell to give me a call. I got shrimp right before Christmas, but havent heard from him since. Still worth a shot if u can find a guy like that in your area.
There's a big cattle farm a mile down the road. If worst comes to worst, I'll go down and buy one on the hoof and pay him to haul it to the butcher for me.
I'd do it before I went hungry. But I'm not a huge beef eater. I like it okay. But I can do without it and not miss it all that much.
I just priced out the cost of half a steer yesterday from a local rancher. After the purchase price and slaughterhouse charge for processing, it came to just over $8 per lb. That's about the same price as it is at the grocery store.
We have a local farmer/beef producer/butcher. He sells beef on the rail for $3/lb. Depending on bone and fat, that works out to about $5.
That's for finished beef breeds.
And it's a good price compared to many. The farmer is doing better than running them through an auction.
Too many beef guys sell, "prime" beef. Prime, because it's theirs. And they want more than grocery store prices. Most, are full of BS.
For some reason, the whole farm to table thing has driven this. I remember buying stuff from farmers, especially corn. They got more than selling wholesale, we paid less than retail. Win-win. Everyone is happy. Now, you buy products that a farmer sold, it was trucked to a warehouse, then trucked to a store, and sold at the store. For less than these farmstands charge. Pisses me off. And I don't buy from them. I like to support them, and help them do better. I am not gonna be their patsy.
Parents who say they have good kids..Usually don't!
Beans and rice. I noticed that's what the locals seemed to live on in Central America.
Bb
This is the correct answer, the variations made with it can be near endless. High in protein and inexpensive, they can be purchased in large quantities and will keep practically forever. Just add a little meat of some sort or a salsa, even vegetables - with a little imagination it can fixed in so many ways that you should never get tired of it.
I did read your comment that your intestines are sensitive to beans but by gradually increasing the quantity that you eat your system will likely adapt in a short time.
I have found over the years the poorer and hungrier I am, the better cheap stuff tastes!
Handful of bulk oatmeal, a small handful of raisins, as BC30 described being purchased, some water and that was breakfast quite often while attending University.
Bristoe, you won't be able to head down to the docks and buy fish straight off the boat, but buying an albacore for $1/lb, getting a 50% return on meat off the carcass, smoking it myself was about 6 times cheaper than buying it in the store.
I had access to the landlady's freezer, so during turkey sales at the holidays I stocked up on a few. Smoked turkey dinners and soup from the carcass stretched tight money pretty good. Still do it every season as it was traditional in our family anyway.
Bought 1/4 beef last spring from our neighboring ranch. $7 a lb and they tossed in the liver, heart, and tongue! I need to get after the last two for me, wife won't eat them. Price was reasonable to me, local stimulus money and good organically raised beef grazed right over our fence.
Corn, beans, and squash are said to make a pretty complete amino acid profile. Kept a whole lot of Indians alive until the pox blankets arrived.
Just made a big pot of beef barley soup the other day, still eating on it. Soupbones from that cow, an onion, big garlic clove, some carrot and celery, and a cup of barley. Goes a long ways. Didn't skim off the fat and goodies from the bones, more nutritious!
we make most all of our own bread, not sure if it's "cheaper" once the oven use gets figured in (but it's winter so I stop loading the wood stove on baking days). Probably saves a bit as a loaf of good bread seems to run $3.50+ here.
Chicken is a staple here, and the wife usually waits until it goes on sale for the family packs, then it gets stocked in the freezer.
Mediterranean diet can be good too, if you don't mind pasta and rice with a little protein for a meal with fresh veggies and salad.
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
It seems to me that if the price of meat keeps going up, that the wild hog problem in America will be significantly curtailed.
I've never eaten wild hog. Some people say it's good. Some people don't.
small boars and sows are good, big stinky boars are not fit to eat.
God bless Texas----------------------- Old 300 I will remain what i am until the day I die- A HUNTER......Sitting Bull Its not how you pick the booger.. but where you put it !! Roger V Hunter
I usually have half a bag or so of deer corn left over after my south Texas hunt.
Pick out and toss the stix and pebbles. Leave the bugs, worms and weevils in....for added protein.
I also have 1 of the old fashioned cast iron hand cranked meat/food grinder.
I grind that corn....running it thru the grinder 2-3 times.....grinding finer with each cycle.
Makes good corn meal, corn bread, corn meal mush, fried mush, muffins etc. Also a good extender to mix into a meat loaf or meatballs. Once you get the hang of it,you can also make corn tortillas.
It's also good mixed maybe 1 part corn meal to 4-6 parts store bought wheat flour as an extender to make bread and biscuits.
I can't remember exactly, but I think recent price of deer corn, by the 40-50 pound bag, was maybe 20-30 cents per pound.
I bought enough turkeys to fill the dead space in my freezer when they went on sale after thanksgiving. The were .99 a pound and a 12 pounder will make a couple meals for us plus a pot of soup and sandwiches for my lunchbox for the week.
You need to get on that neighbor with the fish ponds hood side. We’re eating on crappie, catfish, and saugeye filets from last spring. They’re pretty good eating and supposedly good for you.
We put two deer in the freezer this year, less than usual but we’ll get by. I may peel the backstraps out of a few pigs if they don’t smell too bad. They work good for pork and green chile burritos or for curing into Canadian bacon. And I shoot them in the bar ditches and what not so the input cost is low. We shot and ate some squirrels the other day and they sure were good, need to go get another mess.
And as you already know and 43 posters have said, my ancestors made it through the dust bowl on beans and cornbread. Don’t get much cheaper than that.
I assume real estate is booming there just as it is elsewhere?
It's crazy. The listed price is where the bidding starts.
i.e., your dear wife is making bank...
She's found herself in an envious position. Real estate is good and the hospital is giving out generous bonus' to keep the nurse turnover to a minimum.
It's almost as envious a position as I'm in,.....being retired and married to a woman who's in an envious position.
Go together with others and buy half a beef, or cases of chicken. I still get beef and seafood cheap at times from a vendor that services bars around here. I told the deliver driver long ago if at the end of the day he has stuff he couldnt sell to give me a call. I got shrimp right before Christmas, but havent heard from him since. Still worth a shot if u can find a guy like that in your area.
There's a big cattle farm a mile down the road. If worst comes to worst, I'll go down and buy one on the hoof and pay him to haul it to the butcher for me.
I'd do it before I went hungry. But I'm not a huge beef eater. I like it okay. But I can do without it and not miss it all that much.
I just priced out the cost of half a steer yesterday from a local rancher. After the purchase price and slaughterhouse charge for processing, it came to just over $8 per lb. That's about the same price as it is at the grocery store.
We grow our own beef and if I remember correctly(last spring) if was $4/lb for a personal critter.